TOPIC: Volvo Fanatic at age 19!

Hi, my name is Jesse and not three months ago my life changed when I bought a 1981 Volvo 245 dl. For some, this may not seem like such a life changing event, however, after 9 other cars since I was 16 (I am 19 now), I have fallen head over heels for my Volvo.

Since buying my Volvo, I have been under the hood every chance I have had. I replaced both fuel pumps, a radiator, a few fuses and the radio. I also tracked down an original roof rack off of an '83 because my original owner had taken it off! (you could see where it had been painted over the holes)

Long story short, I've spent the last three months trying to do everything but want to keep this car. I like moving through them quickly, but I just can't sell it. I love driving it and every little quirk that it has. Most of all though, I love the looks people give me for driving this brick.

As far as future plans, I am buying and IPD tune up kit after my next check, and then will move on to suspension. Contrary to most young people's takes on older Volvos, I plan to keep this car as original as possible. I will certainly use better than OEM parts, but I don't want to lower it or do anything like that. I may tint the windows.. maybe.

Anyways, I am thrilled to be part of this club and hope to learn more about Volvos through it! I have loved these cars since my dad owned one when I was 7, and I love it now! Volvo For Life!

Right now the water pump is going bad, so I decided that it was time I turned that into my project car. Because I want to use that as my DD after college, it needs a fair amount of new parts to be reliable. Here's my list:
-New front & rear bushings
-New springs & shocks all around
-New clutch kit & trans seals
-New wheel bearings
-New rotors & pads
-New timing belt & water pump
-Full tune up

I'm sure I've left a few things out, but essentially I want to put another 300k on it after college. As it sits, it's at 290k.

Since I've made it my project car, I had to get something to be my DD. So, I just bought an '86 244. It's a beater, I picked it up with 425k for $480. Runs great, leaks some fluids, but it gets me where I need to go. My plan is to invest in my '81 for a while and when I'm done and driving my 245, I'll give the 244 to my sister. I want her to be a Volvo person too.

All in all, I'm satisfied with both cars! They're great and fun to drive and just don't die!